Amusement device



June 19, 1934. w HAHN, JR, ET AL 1,963,944

AMUSEMENT DEVICE Filed Feb. 9, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet l M INVENTORS M MaM ffi a ed m ATTORNEY June 19, 1934, w HAHN, JR" ET AL 1,963,944

AMUSEMENT DEVICE Filed Feb. 9, 1952 2 Sheets-$heet 2 Mow/77574414, 4/, W%/%' INVENTORS 12w}, ATTORNEY Patented June 19, 1934 UNITED STATES AMUSEMENT DEVICE Arthur W. Hahn, Jr.,

New York, N. Y., and

William F. Purcell, Hoboken, N. J.

Application February 9,

2 Claims.

This invention relates to amusement devices and particularly to games.

The object of the invention is to provide a game both instructive and entertaining, which may be played by two or more persons. A further object of the invention is to provide a game which may be played with but few digressions from the rules governing professional baseball and in which the skill of the opposing players largely deterrnines the result of the game.

The game has an educational value, in that it makes for the proper coordination of eye and hand and the skill which may be developed, by practice, makes the game interesting to both children and adults.

The invention in its preferred form includes a plurality of figures representing players of opposing baseball teams. For example, five figures, one that of a batter, one a pitcher and three of base-runners. Only one of the latter three figures, designated by the letter C, is shown in the drawings, since they may be of conventional design and are placed on or removed from the bases according to the circumstances of the game.

In the drawings, in which similar reference characters denote similar parts:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the device.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the batter.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the pitcher.

Fig. 4 is a detail view of the scoring device.

Referring to Fig. 1, the numeral 1 indicates a base member, which is shown as a rectangular board with a baseball diamond represented thereon. On this board is mounted a vertical member 2, representing a fiag pole. This vertical member supports an arm 3, from the end of which, by means of a string 4, a ball 5, is suspended. The vertical member is also provided with cross bars 6, '7, 8, 9 and 10, the purpose of which will hereinafter be explained.

' Fixed on the base member is a figure A, representing the pitcher. This figure, more clearly shown in Fig. 3, is provided with arms 11 and 12, which are fixed to a shaft 13, which passes through the body 14, and is revolvably mounted therein, so that movement of one arm will cause movement of the other. One of these arms is provided with a hand 15, which is so shaped as to hold the ball 5, when it is placed therein and to throw the ball through the air when the other arm 12, is swingingly moved.

The letter B indicates the figure of the batter, which is also fixed to the base member 1. This figure, shown more clearly in Fig. 2, is preferably made with the upper portion of the body piv- 1932, Serial No. 591,786

the players operates the figure of the pitcher and one that of the batter. In effect, one player becomes the pitcher throwing a miniature baseball and one becomes the batter using a miniature bat. The pitcher having placed theball in the hand 15, of the figure he is operating, causes it to throw the ball by pressing downward on the arm 12. The ball leaving the hand of the figure describes an arc through the air because it is controlled by the string 4, and the point of suspension is such that if the bat 17, is swung at the proper time the ball will meet the bat at its longitudinal centre line, resulting in its being driven in a substantially straight line. It will be noted, that as the ball is approaching the bat it is traveling upward in an arc hence, if the bat is swung too soon the result will be either a miss or strike or a downwardly driven ball while if it is swung too late, the ball will be driven upwardly or missed. Likewise, a late swing will tend to drive the ball in a left field direction and premature swing in the direction of right field.

It will also be noted, that the direction of travel of the ball when struck by the bat is not controlled by the string, although its distance of travel is limited by it to prevent the ball being lost. However, the path of travel of the ball, when it is thrown by the pitcher, is controlled by the string, whether it is a fast or slow ball, so that if the bat is swung so as to be in the proper position at the right time it will meet the ball and drive it in the direction desired by the batter. Hence, the result of the game largely depends upon the relative skill of pitcher and batter and it is thus quite possible for a good pitcher to strike out the batter.

Referring now to the vertical member 2, (see Figs. 1 and 4) this member has a two-fold purpose namely, to support the. arm 3, from which the ball is suspended and to support the cross bars 6, '7, 8, 9 and 10, the function of which will now be explained. Assuming that the batter has succeeded in striking the ball in such manner as to drive it in the desired direction, the string 4, trailing the ball through the air, will be intercepted by one of the cross-bars, which will change the direction of flight of the ball and cause it to wind the string around said cross-bar.

It will be seen, that these cross-bars are attached to the vertical member 2, at different heights and preferably they are made of vary ing lengths. It has been found in practice that the one most likely to engage the string is that designated by the numeral 6, therefore, engage ment by this bar is considered a catch by one of the members of the opposing team and the batter is out. Engagement by the bar 7, is considered a one base hit and one of the baserunners may be placed on 1st base. Engagement by bar 8, is considered a two base hit and if there be a runner on 1st base at the time, he is advanced to 3rd base and another runner placed on 2nd base. Engagement of the string by bar 9, is a three base hit and the runners are moved accordingly. To bat the ball so that the string is caught by bar 10, which is the most difficult. is considered a'home run and would score all the men on the bases as well as the batter. Should one of the base-runn rs be directly struck by a batted ball, that runner is considered put out on base. Three successive strikes puts the batter out and all batted balls not registered by the scoring device may be considered foul balls.

The rules described may of course be modified to suit the wishes of the players. The baserunner figures may be dispensed with and other means of marking the plays substituted. Therefore, we do not limit ourselves to any particular method of playing the game, nor do we limit ourselves to the particular construction of the device as shown in the drawings, except as defined in the claims.

We claim as our invention:

1. In an amusement device; in combination, a base-member representing a'baseball diamond; a mast supported by said base-member; a plurality of horizontal bars supported by said mast; a mast-arm supported by said mast and extending in a plane perpendicularly to the plane of said horizontal bars; a figure representing a baseball pitcher carried by said base-member; two revoluble arms directed in opposite directions carried by said pitcher figure and connected to each other, one of which arms has a receptacle adapted to receive a ball, said receptacle arm being adapted to rotate by the rotation of the other arm; a flexible member suspended from said mast-arm; a ball suspended from said flexible member normally positioned on the side of said pitcher away from said mast, said ball being capable of placement in said pitcher arm receptacle; a figure representing a base-ball batter carried by said base-member, at least a portion of said figure being capable of revolution by means of direct manual control and a bat carried by the revoluble portion of said batter, said bat being capable of movement in an arc intersecting the arc of the swinging movement of said ball.

2. In an amusement device, in combination, a base-member representing a baseball diamond; a mast supported by said base-member; a plurality of horizontal bars supported by said mast; a mast-arm supported by said mast and extending in a plane perpendicularly to the plane of said horizontal bars; a figure representing a baseball pitcher carried by said base-member; two revoluble arms directed in opposite directions carried 100 by said pitcher figure and connected to each other, one of which arms has a receptacle adapted to receive a ball, said receptacle arm being adapt-' ed to rotate by the rotation of the other arm; a flexible member suspended from said mast-arm; a ball suspended from said flexible member normally positioned'on the side of said pitcher away from said mast, said ball being capable of placement in said pitcher arm receptacle, a figure representing a baseball batter carried by said base-member, at least a portion of. said figure being capable of revolution by means of direct manual control, a projecting finger piece carried by said revoluble portion of said batter and a bat carried by the revoluble portion of said batter, 5 said bat being capable of movement in an arc intersecting the arc of the swinging movement of said ball.

ARTHUR W. HAHN, JR.

WILLIAM F. PURCELL. 12g 

